Use Guided Imagery For Relaxation

Guided imagery is a mind-body intervention that involves evoking positive mental imagery to help invoke a positive effect. This relaxation technique can be helpful for calming the body, relieving stress, and combatting feelings of anxiety. 

It can quickly calm your body and simultaneously relax your mind. It's pleasant to practice and not overly difficult or intimidating to learn. It can help you de-stress in minutes and can also be a useful strategy for maintaining resilience toward stress during difficult times. 

Guided imagery is a convenient and simple relaxation technique that can help you quickly and easily manage stress and reduce tension in your body. It’s virtually as easy as indulging in a vivid daydream, and with practice, this technique can help you to access your inner wisdom better.

How to Practice Guided Imagery

Now that you understand the basics of this stress management tool, let's get into how you can practice it. The following are general guidelines to help you understand the process of guided imagery, and be able to practice it on your own. Here's how to make guided imagery practice work for you.

Get Comfortable

Get into a relaxed position, like the one you would use for meditation or self-hypnosis. If a lying-down position would likely put you to sleep, opt for a cross-legged position or recline in a comfortable chair. Try to position yourself in a way where your physical comfort won't be a distraction.

Breathe From Your Belly

Use diaphragmic deep breathing and close your eyes, focusing on "breathing in peace and breathing out stress." This means letting your belly expand and contract with your breath—if you find your shoulders rising and falling, you are likely carrying tension in your body and not breathing in the most relaxed way.

Vividly Imagine Your Scene

Once you are in a relaxed state, begin to envision yourself in the most relaxing environment you can imagine. The key is to find what works for you.

For some, this would be floating in the cool, clear waters of a remote tropical island, where attractive people bring drinks and smooth music plays in the background. For others, this might be sitting by a fire in a snow cabin, deep in the woods, sipping hot cocoa, and reading the latest bestseller. 

Immerse Yourself In Sensory Details

As you imagine your scene, try to involve all of your senses.

• What does it look like?
• How does it feel?
• What special scents are involved?
• Do you hear the roar of a fire, the splash of a waterfall, or the sounds of chipper birds?

Make your vision so real you can even taste it! (Noticing these details in your daily life is a way to increase your mindfulness, which brings lasting stress management benefits as well.)

Relax

Stay here for as long as you like. Enjoy your ‘surroundings’, and let yourself be far from what stresses you. When you’re ready to come back to reality, count back from ten or twenty, and tell yourself that when you get to ‘one’, you’ll feel serene and alert and enjoy the rest of your day.

When you return, you’ll feel calmer and refreshed, like returning from a mini-vacation, but you won’t have left the room!

Where to Learn Guided Imagery

There are a few different ways to practice using guided imagery, including:

• Taking a class where you are "guided" by an instructor
• Using audio recordings, creating your own recordings
• Using your inner voice and imagination

There are multiple ways to practice guided imagery and the different ways of using it. A popular method is using your own thoughts simply because this takes the least amount of preparation and expense.

You can also explore guided imagery at many yoga studios, with recordings, and through an experienced therapist. You can also record your own guided imagery tapes. 

The Effects of Guided Imagery

Research suggests that guided imagery can increase alpha brain waves, which are associated with a relaxed, enhanced mood. When stressed, alpha waves tend to decrease, which is connected to a heightened state of alertness and anxiety. By increasing alpha waves, guided imagery can help to quickly induce feelings of relaxation when a person is under stress.

Guided imagery is often used in healthcare and therapy settings to help people cope with the effects of medical and mental health conditions. Fortunately, guided imagery is a simple enough technique that can be used at home, with positive results.

How Guided Imagery Works

Guided imagery can be used to induce a state of deep relaxation. This can be done with the help of a guided imagery recording, a professional helper, or just one’s own imagination. The process involves envisioning a relaxing scene in great detail relating to all of the senses.

It could also be a relaxing or happy event such as a vividly-imagined scene where you discover a $50 bill on the sidewalk and eat a delicious meal in a restaurant by the beach, or win the lottery and buy whatever you want.

Those who use guided imagery for stress relief may imagine a wise 'guide' with them, answering their questions and asking them questions to ponder. Imagining a 'guide' is a representation of their subconscious mind that they aren’t generally able to access.

The Benefits of Guided Imagery

Imagery can provide relaxation, insight, and wisdom. It can help you to relieve physical tension and psychological stress at the same time, distracting you from what may be stressing you, and getting you into a more positive frame of mind.

Research indicates that guided imagery can enhance the mind-body connection and:

• Increase overall well-being
• Reduce stress
• Reduce anxiety
• Strengthen the immune system
• Decrease pain

In this way, it can also be useful in disrupting patterns of rumination and can help you to build resources in your life that increase your resilience toward stress by engaging an upward spiral of positivity. 

Potential Pitfalls and Limitations

There are also a few potential limitations to consider. Like self-hypnosis, mastering autonomous guided imagery can take some practice. Working with a professional therapist to get to that point can be somewhat costly but worthwhile. Alternatively, you can use many downloadable recordings to get started or follow the simple instructions in this article on guided imagery.

How Guided Imagery Compares to Other Techniques

For the benefits it provides, it’s an excellent stress management option. It can be easier than exercise or yoga for those with physical limitations. It has no risk of side effects like some medical and herbal therapies. Using it for simple relaxation is easy and can be done by just about anyone.

It’s similar to self-hypnosis in that you’re getting into a deep state of relaxation and dealing with your subconscious mind. However, with self-hypnosis, you’re more often implanting ideas into your subconscious mind, whereas imagery focuses more on extracting ideas from it.

Tips for Practicing Guided Imagery

Try these tips to enhance your guided imagery experience:

1. You may want to use ambient sounds that compliment your imagery. This way, you feel more immersed in your ‘environment’, plus the sounds of real-life will be obscured.
2. You may also want to set an alarm, just in case you lose track of time or fall asleep. This way, you’ll be more able to relax and let go, knowing that your schedule won’t be in jeopardy.
3. As you get more practiced, you can go more deeply and quickly. You may also want to communicate with your subconscious mind with the help of a self-recorded or purchased tape or with the help of a therapist.

Remember, guided imagery can be a quick and effective way to deal with stress. However, other relaxation techniques, such as yoga, meditation, and progressive muscle relaxation, may also be helpful.

If stress interferes with your ability to function normally, talk to your doctor or a licensed mental health professional. They can recommend strategies and treatments, including therapy, medication, and lifestyle changes.